The Top 50 Best Wings in the U.S. for the Super Bowl

Who makes the best wings in your city? You could sift through pages of reviews online wondering whether you should even listen to them, or you could let us do the hard work and ask the best chefs in the country where to go.

January 22, 2014 ● 9 min read

Below, you'll find picks from chefs like Anita Lo, Philip Speer, Marco Canora, Chris Cosentino, and Jason Franey on where to go for a plate of championship wings. They range from Buffalo to Chinese-style dry-fried, and there's even a few picks that aren't technically wings but still inspiring, like the Buffalo-style braised pork shanks from The Federal in Miami that we now want to serve at our Super Bowl party. Some of these restaurants are open Super Bowl Sunday, some aren't, so call ahead and check to be sure you don't have to punt!

And just for fun, we also polled the chefs to see where the pros weigh in on the age-old wing-eating questions: "Blue cheese or ranch?" and "Celery or carrot sticks?" Answers follow in the infographic under the list.

New York

Chicken wings at Daddy-O, recommended by chef Joey Campanaro who says "I believe these wings are made with Frank's RedHot, butter, red wine vinegar, honey, and tomato sauce. I really dig this recipe."

Duff's Famous wings at Duff's Famous Wings, recommended by chef Anita Lo who says "When I last had these, they were just out of the fryer so the edges were still crispy. They were traditionally dressed with the right amount of Frank's RedHot sauce (I go medium) and butter."

Grilled chicken wings "freshly killed" at Hanjan, recommended by chef Ben Pollinger who says "These taste awesome! A little salt, a little spice, rich umami flavors, and a nice char from the grill. They come with a soy-sake marinade and house pickles."

Fried chicken wings at Riki, recommended by chef Shaun Hergatt who says "Japanese bar food is an all time favorite! Slightly salty but very crisp. There are so many good items here Riki's is a must."

BBQ wings at Brooklyn Bowl, recommended by chef Chris Santos who says "I love this place not only for their delicious wings, but for the bowling, beer, concert stage with amazing sound, and multiple widescreen TVs."

Chicken wings at Pork Slope,
recommended by chef Jeff McInnis who says "These wings must be brined
for a long time. They're very flavorful, extra crunchy, and spicy."

9 spice chicken wings at Chino, recommended by chef Chris Kronner who says "The amazingly flavorful crust combined with amazingly moist wings make braving the hordes of people at the market worth it. They come with a persimmon sweet and sour sauce."

Dry fry chicken at San Tung, recommended by chefs Adrian Hoffman, Arnold Eric Wong, Christopher Kostow, and Lori Baker. Hoffman says: "My friends and I refer to these as crack wings, given their addictive properties. Warning: When you think it's a great idea to bring them to your friend's Super Bowl party, think again, because hundreds of others have had the same brilliant idea and the wait will be in terms of hours to get your order."

Spicy chicken wings at Spices!, recommended by chef Chris Cosentino who says "The chicken wings are cut into small pieces and covered in a mound of dried chilies. But what's surprising is that this is all about the flavor, not the heat."

Dry fried chicken wings at Shanghai House,
recommended by chef Staffan Terje who says "These are big, crispy, and
super juicy drumettes tossed in what could be described as a soy-caramel
sauce with lots of dried whole red chilies. They're salty, sweet, and
spicy, hands down the best wings I've had in a long time. Whenever I go
there for dinner, I always grab two orders to-go. I will make the drive
from the opposite end of SF to get them; that's how good they are."

Chicago

Chicken wings at DAK in Edgewater, recommended by chef Gale Gand who says "The best wings I've ever had in my life are at DAK in Edgewater, a Korean hole-in-the-wall. They are crunchy, brittle, crackling, and irresistible."

Smoked chicken wings at The Old Man, recommended by chef Alex Seidel who says "They use quality chicken here. The wings and mini drumsticks are hearty and delicious to eat. They're smoked first then confited, fried, and tossed in a variety of sauces, hot Buffalo being my favorite."

Hot chicken drumsticks at The Post Brewing Co., recommended by chef Jamey Fader who says "The drummies are done confit-style so the meat holds together, but they are soft once you take a bite. The wood-fire oven crisps up the outside of the meat and the chili oil is smoky and spicy."

Legendary wings at The Chicken Bone, recommended by chef Ming Tsai who says "I love these since they are "thermonuclear" tempered! They also have a variety of dunking sauces. The teriyaki and garlic glaze are real crowd-pleasers."

Crispy confit duck wings at Temple Bar, recommended by chefs Michael Scelfo and Eric Gregory who say "These are smoked and have a soy and pineapple duck glaze that make them sticky and sweet at the same time," and "They're crispy, plus fatty and sticky from the pineapple, so it's salty, sweet, and sticky."

Los Angeles

Chicken wings at Kokekokko, recommended by chef Mary Sue Milliken who says "Kokekokko has excellent quality chicken and the charcoal used for grilling is exquisite. It's served with tōgarashi chili sprinkle and fresh squeezed lemon."

Hot wings at Ye Rustic Inn, recommended by chef Ray Garcia who says "This is a dive bar with great beer and incredible wings. What else could you ask for? Order the suicide wings, if you think you can take the heat."

Chicken wings at Gus's Barbecue, recommended by chef Joachim Splichal who says "The wings here are absolutely delicious because they're super crisp and come with a sweet-and-sour sauce. They're served with jicama sprinkled with salt and cayenne which makes for a great balance of flavors."

Spicy chicken wings at O B Bear, recommended by chefs Giselle Wellman and Jordan Kahn who say "Real spicy, real good! These wings are just so juicy and delicious," and "At this Korean restaurant, you have to get one order of spicy chicken wings and two orders of regular soy-garlic wings. For every spicy wing, you need to eat two regular wings."

Miami

Boneless wings at Shucker's Bar and Grill, recommended by chef Michael Gilligan who says "These are spicy wings that make your eyes water and your lips burn. Sit by the water with lashings of cold beer and watch the game."

Matsuri chicken wings at Matsuri, recommended by chef Joel Huff who says "The sauce on these wings is to die for! I think I could eat about three dozen—seriously."

'Buffalo-style' pig wings at The Federal, recommended by chef Gabriel Fenton who says "A braised pork shank that looks like a gigantic chicken wing is rolled in cornstarch and then deep-fried. The shank is tossed in a traditional Buffalo sauce and served with celery, carrots, and blue cheese. It's a delicious porky take on classic chicken wings."

Bayou hotboy wings at Bayou Hot Wings, recommended by chef Susan Spicer who says "One of the two partners, Kyle Makepeace, has worked at some great restaurants around town (including mine!) and brings his culinary expertise to the 12 different levels of heat in his wings (the Bayou Beast being the hottest) and dipping sauces, not to mention the sides."

Sticky Buffalo Chappapeela Farms duck wings at Emeril's New Orleans, recommended by chef Allen Nguyen who says "When I'm not eating wings from my own restaurant, I love the duck wings at Emeril's! It's obviously a bit more fancy than a takeout joint, but it's definitely on-point. They're crispy, savory, and flavorful. It hits all the notes of a great wing!"

Veal sweetbreads at Sylvain, recommended by chef Tenney Flynn who says "These crispy fried sweetbreads are tossed in a buffalo wing sauce and served with celeriac slaw."

Portland

Ike's Vietnamese fish sauce wings at Pok Pok,
recommended by chefs John Gorham, Jason McLeod, and Gregory Gourdet who
say "They are the best wings ever," "You can order these wings regular
or spicy. I had both and I would go with spicy because it adds a level
of flavor the regular does not," and "Sticky, spicy, sweet, salty,
garlicky, and just a bit greasy, I crave these wings for days at a
time."

Philadelphia

Buffalo wings at Ye Olde Ale House, recommended by chef Chip Roman who says "These wings are your classic, messy, spicy Buffalo wings. They're served in that familiar red basket with a side of blue cheese dressing. That's all you need."

Duck confit chicken wings at Varga Bar, recommended by chef Monica Glass who says "Sweet and spicy in a pomegranate-molasses-bourbon-chili glaze, the duck confit chicken wings at Varga are a uniquely delicious alternative to traditional wings."

Wings at Dienner's Bar-B-Q, recommended by chef Mike Stollenwerk who says "When I make a quick stop to the Reading Terminal for last-minute ingredients before heading in to prep, I can't leave without these rotisserie wings. Too bad they're only available Wednesday through Saturday."

Korean fried chicken wings at Soho Cafe, recommended by chef Michael Solomonov who says "The wings at Cafe Soho are worth the drive from Center City, even at 1 a.m., when the kitchen is finished serving."

Chicken wings at Byrne's Tavern, recommended by chef Felicia D'Ambrosio who says "This Port Richmond neighborhood watering hole is as unassuming as it gets, but has been turning out pristine, just spicy enough chicken wings for generations."

San Diego

Mo's wings at Urban Mo's Bar & Grill, recommended by chef Deborah Scott who says "The hot wings from Urban Mo's are my favorite for two reasons: they have a lot of meat on them, and they are bigger than most wings you would find served as an appetizer."

Seattle

Garlic chicken wings at Wong's Kitchen, recommended by chef Jason Franey who says "They have a little bit of sweetness to them and they're seasoned perfectly. Not too greasy or slimy, just glazed lightly and sprinkled with salt and pepper."

And as a bonus for our neighbors in Canada enjoying the Super Bowl, we've got you covered too:

Chicken wings at Mullins' in Toronto, recommended by chef Matt Blondin who says "These baked chicken wings are just awesome. They're tender, juicy, sticky, and all around delicious."